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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009How do you spell "school marm"?
How do you spell "school marm"?  SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >How do you spell "school marm"? http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/school%20marm Signature************* DAVE HATUNEN (hatunen@cox.net) ************* * Tucson Arizona, out where the cacti grow * * My typos & mispellings are intentional copyright traps * >>How do you spell "school marm"? > >http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/school%20marm Wow. I looked on this very site, but only entered marm, and it didn't find it. Now it finds it, and lists it at the top as two words, but all the entries show it as one word. If entered as one word, it shows one word at the top and the very same entries below. When I tried marm, it gave as suggested spellings maam and ma'am but, Cece, that entry didn't list marm as a possible pronunciation. This page used to, probably still does, suggests a list of alternative spelling and includes a lot of words that don't even exist in their main list. Despite that, it didn't list schoolmarm in its alternate list. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>>How do you spell "school marm"? >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >main list. Despite that, it didn't list schoolmarm in its alternate >list. There are two free on-line dictionaries that give a pronunciation of 'schoolmarm,' at http://www.bartleby.com/61/ and at m-w.com. Both of them also give you a pronunciation you can listen to. They both pronounce the 'marm' part the same as 'mom,' where the 'o' is like the 'a' in 'father.' I pronounce my 'r's, so I would say 'marm,' with the 'r' clearly heard. SignatureEgbert White, | "I love Americans, but not when they try Planet Earth | to talk French. What a blessing it is that | that they never try to talk English." | -- Saki's Mrs. Mebberley > How do you spell "school marm"? I spell in in one word, "schoolmarm". And the spelling checker doesn't disagree with this. With best wishes, Peter. SignaturePeter Young, (BrE), Consultant Anaesthetist, 1975-2004. (US equivalent: Attending Anesthesiologist) Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. Now happily retired. > > How do you spell "school marm"? > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Cheltenham and Gloucester, UK. > Now happily retired. Back when the word was used, it was properly spelled "schoolma'am," but now, in dialog, it is often spelled "schoolmarm," to tell the reader about the character's accent and speech habits. Maybe the common American pronunciation of "ma'am" has changed since then? > How do you spell "school marm"? The answers "I don't" and "t-e-a-c-h-e-r" spring to mind ... .. but to answer the question: If I wanted to spell "school marm" (and deliberately suggest a pronunciation that rhymes with "harm") I would spell it "school marm" or perhaps "schoolmarm". However, my 'normal' spelling would be "school ma'am", and I would pronounce the "ma'am" to rhyme with "damn" ... but the word I would normally use would not me school ma'am at all, but schoolmistress. Cheers, Daniel. >> How do you spell "school marm"? > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >pronounce the "ma'am" to rhyme with "damn" ... but the word I would >normally use would not me school ma'am at all, but schoolmistress. I was using it as an adjective, and the other two spellings have different connnotations. Thanks all of you. >Cheers, > Daniel. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years |
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